The Geo-political Approach: Two States for Two Peoples

We, the undersigned, are IDF reserve commanders and retired police officers that have fought in Israel’s wars.

We know from experience the heavy and painful price exacted by these wars; we fought bravely for the State in the hope that our children would live here in peace. But the reality is that we are again sending our children to the battlefields, watching as they don uniforms and bulletproof vests to fight in Operation Protective Edge.

We were impressed by your level-headed leadership in Operation Protective Edge; in those circumstances Israel could not and cannot allow fire on our homes nor to put the public in danger. But this operation may turn out to be in vain if we do not act to prevent the next war. The government of Israel and its residents do not have the privilege of sitting around idly. It is time to take responsibility for our future and take advantage of the historical opportunity that has come up following Operation Protective Edge.

We are in the midst of the memorial days marking the fallen of the Yom Kippur War, a war that stemmed from the political blindness of the Israeli leadership. We are concerned that similar blindness will thwart the opportunity before us. Therefore we call on you to adopt the political-regional approach and begin negotiations with moderate Arab states and with the Palestinians (in the West Bank and in Gaza, too) based on the Saudi-Arab Peace Initiative, as proposed to Israel by the President of Egypt Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi at the recent international conference in Cairo, and Saudi Prince Turki Al Faisal last July.

Sir, you yourself have declared a political horizon and noted that there are mutual interests. You know that the moderate Arab states want to promote, together with us, a political arrangement that will enable us to confront our common enemies together and stabilize the Middle East.

You know that this is the real answer to the Iranian threat and the terror threats of ISIL, Hamas, Hezbollah, Al Qaida and other terrorist organizations. You also know that only the political-regional approach and an arrangement with the moderate Arab states has a chance of bringing about an agreement with the Palestinians, stability, security and economic prosperity.

The political-regional approach brings with it great hope. Only this approach can create the dramatic political change that will lead to socio-economic growth and turn Israel into model society for its citizens, the Jews of the Diaspora and the nations of the world. Only this approach can be the weight that will tip the socio-economic scale, lower the high cost of living and impact the quality of life of the public that is raising its voice in economic protest.

This is not a question of right or left. This is not a question of fear. This is another idea for the solution of the conflict that is not based on negotiations with the Palestinians that have failed time and again.

Sir, please do not join those who, every other day, use warnings of danger as an excuse to do nothing. We know what is necessary to achieve security for Israel, and we know that regional cooperation will contribute to this goal.

There is a high chance that this initiative will succeed! But even if it doesn’t, you owe this to the people of Israel.

Only then can we look our children and grandchildren in the eye and say: “We tried; we are sorry, we did not succeed.”

We expect of you a courageous initiative, leadership and vision.

As a fighter, you were raised on the slogan “only he who dares, succeeds. “As a politician, adopt the slogan “only he who initiates, succeeds.”

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